Aiea rides ‘D’ past McKinley

Nearly a year after losing in the semifinals of the Division II state tournament, Aiea has buckled down and taken command of the floor on defense. Na Alii used a smothering fullcourt man-to-man defense to overwhelm McKinley 66-38 last night in a key Oahu Interscholastic Association matchup.

A robust crowd of about 500 at McKinley Student Council gym saw Aiea improve to 6-0 (12-4 overall) in White Conference play by forcing McKinley into 27 turnovers.

Obie Woods, with his long arms and outstanding lateral coverage, sparked Na Alii on both ends of the floor. The senior guard finished with 18 points, including 4-for-8 shooting from the arc. Sharpshooter Josh Chung had a game-high 19 points, including 5-for-9 accuracy from long distance. In all, Aiea shot 11-for-25 from 3-point range (44 percent).

"Aiea is hungry. They're like we were last year, when we had a lot of seniors," McKinley coach Bob Morikuni said.

Defending D-II state champion McKinley fell to 3-2 in league play. The Tigers are bigger in the post, but younger this season. Aiea's on-ball pressure on the perimeter was a huge factor.

"This was a big game for us. We need to establish ourselves in Division II and show that we belong in the top 10," Woods said.

Na Alii lost to Kohala 76-72 in the state tourney 11 months ago. Since then, Tau has emphasized defense more than ever, and Woods has taken it to heart.

"Last year, we came up short. That's why now we're on a mission," said Woods, who had just two steals, but dictated McKinley's backcourt play with his defensive work. "We're better now moving our feet. We practice it every day."

There were five lead changes in the first 9 minutes as the Tigers stayed close despite seven first-quarter turnovers. They managed to keep the visitors in a slowdown tempo, though, and led 12-10 on Ionatana Woodard's putback early in the second quarter.

"They had an eight-man rotation," said Aiea point guard James Buchanan, who finished with five assists. "We knew we could get them tired."

Buchanan's penetration broke down McKinley's 2-3 zone, and Aiea's fullcourt pressure prevailed. Woods drained a trey from the left wing to give Aiea a 13-12 lead, and after Buchanan turned a steal into a breakaway layup, Na Alii were on their way to a 15-0 run. Chung's second 3-pointer of the game gave Aiea a 25-12 lead with just over 4 minutes to go in the first half.

McKinley trimmed the lead to 28-21 by halftime after Earvin Sione drove for a three-point play, but the Tigers got no closer.

Aiea opened the second half with a 9-0 run and never looked back. Free-throw shooting hurt McKinley, which was 3-for-19 at one point early in the fourth quarter. The Tigers finished the game 10-for-27 from the line (37 percent) and 21-for-60 from the field (35 percent).

Tavita Woodard and his brother, Ionatana, led McKinley with nine points each.